29 Nov

The Crisis In Ukraine

The nation of Ukraine has become enveloped by dispute over the outcome of a presidential election. The vote is widely condemned as being riddled with fraud. The crisis has become so serious that it has developed into a tense political tug-of-war between the West and Moscow over Ukraine's future.

Opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko, claims he was cheated out of victory in the Nov. 21 presidential runoff. Viktor Yanukovych, who is backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is claiming he is the legitimate winner of the runoff.

The results of the election has cause hundreds of thousands of people to gather together in massive street rallies, blocking traffic and access to government buildings. Ukraine's parliament has joined forces with the protesters, declaring the election invalid in a nonbinding vote.

Supporters of Yanukovych have also formed their own mass rallies. About 30,000 demonstrators gathered outside the regional legislature in the city of Donetsk. The regional legislature in that city voted 164-1 to hold a Dec. 5 referendum on autonomy that could lead to it joining with Russia.

The Lord only knows what will be the outcome of the Ukraine crisis. If Viktor Yushchenko should emerge victorious, I’m very interested to see how Mr. Putin will react to yet another loss to the West.

Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a Moscow-based sociologist who studies Russian leaders, has already provided a possible answer. She said, "A pro-European Ukrainian policy would be perceived by Russia as a loss of its territory, loss of its satellite." He went on to say, "So, to Russia, that would mean a dramatic weakening of its strength."

We do have an indication of how Putin views the decline of the Soviet Empire. "The collapse of the Soviet Union is a national tragedy on an enormous scale," A former KGB agent told a group at Moscow State University. "We cannot only look back and curse about this issue."

In the past five years Putin has witnessed the Baltic states join NATO and the European Union and the U.S. establish military bases in Central Asia. And, he watched American forces easily defeat Iraqi – a nation heavily armed with Russian weaponry.

Analysts believe that Putin is bent on stopping the creep of Western influence into former Soviet republics. Because of its massive size, the Ukraine could be the line in the sand that forces Russia to take action.

As far as prophecy is concerned, it would surprise me to see Russia turn back to authoritarian rule. I’m sure a lot of Christians are wondering if Vladimir Putin is the Gog ruler of Ezk. 38 and 39. We will probably soon find out.
--Todd

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Perilous Times Part I

We, in this column space, most often dissect and examine the news of our day, sifting the issues and events for moral, and/or prophetic significance. Issues like homosexual rights, gay marriage, and abortion matters like right of choice vs. right to life, are on the front burner so far as hot-button morality topics are concerned. These, and the profound eschatological developments on the geopolitical front, keep observers of biblically prophetic matters preoccupied, while the less prominent prophecies of things to come lurk in the shadows, just out of view.

The characteristics of end-time man –“man” meaning all men and women of this generation of earth-dwellers-- is often a neglected part of the prophetic Word god gave us, particularly through the writings of the Apostle Paul.

The great apostle was also a great prophet, giving us, for example, a clearly presented view of that glorious moment when Christ will step out on the clouds of the heavens and shout “come up hither” as seen, and reported, by John, another great prophet (Rev. 4:1). Paul so clearly delineates the Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 15: 51-55, and 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18, that it astonishes me that Christians could miss it. But, they do. They miss God’s promise to that unique generation of Christians who will be alive when the Rapture occurs – a thrilling catching up to be with Jesus which the suddenly resurrected dead of the Church Age (Age of Grace) will share as part of the Body of Christ. With somewhat less majestic verbiage than used to described “the mystery” he shows us regarding the Rapture, Paul none-the-less lays out very clearly one of the most profound block of prophesies, relevant to the times in which we presently live.

I refer to his “perilous times” prophecy found in 2 Timothy, Chapters 3 and 4. Paul, in that section, gives the characteristics that will uniquely mark the generation of people alive in the last days –the time which will culminate with Christ’s return as King of kings, and Lord of lords.

I have, over the years, done a characteristic-by-characteristic evaluation of current issues and events, with the thought of trying to determine whether Paul’s prophesies of these end-time markers fit our time in human history. In my view, the proof that we are the generation Paul spoke of is unmistakable. Ours, I have felt since undertaking to dissect these matters, must be that perilous times era. With developments in every other area of Bible prophecy pointing to end-time things coming upon our world with increased frequency and intensity, my belief is doubly enforced that Paul’s prophesied “perilous times” is, in fact, our time.

Never have end-time geopolitical signals been so preponderant within our hourly news. Likewise, never before have the end-time characteristics of man been so obvious as now. It’s time to take a fresh look at these characteristics in light of God’s Prophetic Word, overlaid upon the troubling things happening all around us on a daily, even minute-by-minute time-frame.

We will begin looking at Paul’s descriptions of end-time man, juxtaposed against the news of our time, in this week’s Update, and conclude with next week’s “Nearing Mid-Night” column.

We begin with Paul’s opening in his second epistle to Timothy:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,…” (3:1-1)

Paul, in writing to his spiritual son, Timothy, gave us this precise prophecy, outlining what the people of the end-time generation will be like. He indicates that their behavior will constitute the primary reason that the times will be “perilous”.

Lovers of self: People of that future era will be self-centered even beyond human kind’s natural proclivity for self-centeredness, Paul foretells.

One has only to think of today’s divorce rate in America to know ours is a generation of self-centeredness. It seems the moment one or the other of the marriage partners today doesn’t get his or her way about a particular matter, it’s off to the divorce court. This goes for professing Christians as well as non-Christians. Hollywood stars lead the way in making a mockery of marriage, serving as examples of how to exhibit supreme self-centeredness.

Covetous: Advertising and marketing strategies feed this generation’s voracious appetite for more and more luxurious items of every sort. People vie with their credit cards, and through various conniving, to have “things” nicer, more grandiose, more expensive than do others. Larceny often rules in the hearts of those who covet, whether in the hearts of common criminals, or in the hearts of multi-millionaire, sophisticated criminal-types. Think of the big corporations that have recently fallen from great heights, taken down by their former CEOs and board members.

Proud/Boasters: Never have these dual vanities been more manifest than in the elections recently held across America. The politicians consistently told us how great their plans were, and how they alone could pull off the miracles required to keep the country, state, county, city, or whatever, from ruin. Never in memory had such prideful boasting led to such back-stabbing and mud-slinging hatred as in the election season just past. The result is a dangerously divided nation. We have entered perilous times.

Blasphemers: The movie “The Last Temptation of Christ” leaps immediately to mind when thinking on this end-time characteristic. But, it could apply to most all movies, and now, even to primetime TV network programming. The use of God’s name, and the name of Jesus Christ, to express hatred or frustration, is woven, it seems, within every script flowing from the Hollywood cesspool. God’s name, and Christ’s name, is forbidden from mention in our public school classrooms and government buildings, but it’s just freedom of speech to blaspheme the Creator of all things whenever the mood strikes. We never hear the names of Buddha, Allah,Hari Krishna, or other of the false gods used in such a blasphemous way, but God’s name is fair game for the hip purveyors of freedom of expression.

Disobedient to parents: Juvenile crime, run-always, teen-age (and younger) prostitution –all are the end-products of our cultural and societal decay. The trend took a nosedive when in 1963 prayer and Bible reading in public schools were banned. The nation has, from that point, seemingly entered into a spiraling downward era of rebellion. Parents, themselves, distain rules and regulations, displaying before their children’s eyes their disrespect –even hatred— for police officers who issue traffic tickets. They hurl insults at those whom officiate competitions and sports events, whether child-competitions, or big league competitions. Many parents, in the election just past, equated the president of the United states with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. How can we expect not to have crops of disobedient children, when we sew the seeds of rebellion with such flagrant disregard?

Unthankful/Unholy: It became painfully, perilously clear in the just completed political season that we are a nation divided between those who have a regard for morality based upon, to some extent at least, Judeo-Christian principles, and those who want no part of such restraint. America seems divided almost right down the middle, with the morality issues driving some to the psychiatrist couches to cope with the pain and fear they have from their perceived loss of freedom from religious encumbrance.

Obviously, not all whom voted for the losing side are hedonists, that hate God. Many on that side consider themselves as God-fearing. I am not hear referring to those people. But, it cannot be denied with any credibility, after having gone through this election process, that many whom make up the core of the losing side hate any restraint whatever that has a religious-moral connotation. A significant company among the losing side observably feel they owe nothing to a Judeo-Christian god for the life they’ve made for themselves. This is a distinct, unthankful, unholy characteristic the Apostle Paul foretold will be unmistakably clear within the last days generation.

Our times are indeed perilous. We will continue with the next Update, analyzing just how dangerous this generation’s time on earth has become, and how dangerous it is prophesied to become as mankind moves toward Tribulation.
--Terry